Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-08-19
BENNINGTON BATTLE MONUMENT.
he Memorial to be Raised on the Famous
Battle Ground -Description of the Shaft.

The cornerstone of the monument upon
the site of the battle of Bennington was
laid on Tuesday last in the presence of
many civic and military organizations of
Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.
Through the courtesy of the architect, j.
Philip Rim of Boston, We are able to Law
before our readers this week the above
imposing cut. State Arm hill is some
300 feet above the valley, and half mile
to the south rises Mt. Anthony, some 1000
feet high, and the selection of a tall, Sc
we're shaft seems to have been wise and
proper The foundation rests directly
upon limestone ledge, A feet square on
the rock and 81 feet at height of nine
feet and is of limestone taken from the
Fillmore quarry. The shaft proper is to
he 3Ol feet high, and will be built of
Sandy Hill dolomite or magnetism lime
stone.
The outskirts of the shaft will be built
with what is known as "headers and
StretcnerS" These are stones cut in
long blocks the stretchers are laid length.
wise and the headers with ends to the
outer wall, running through to the inside
The outside wall is thus laid for 26O feet,
after which are both headers and
stretchers. The inside walls will be left
OUTSIDE
walls have rough finish For the
outside the coarse ashlars aud stretchers
are laid in random length. The concave
joints between the ashlars will be filled
with Portland cement and coarse sand
These joints and the color of the lime
stone rock give the column harmonious
finish. AT the height of 200 feet there IS
an entablature eight feet high and II feet
above Is another entablature l3 feet high.
few feet above the lower line of the
entablature on each of the four sides of
the shaft there is an opening II feet by II,
IN which stand double rows of plain col
umns, four of the columns being flush with
the outer surface of the shaft and the
others behind them in the interior. These
columns are 10 Inches apart and across the
front row on the inside are run three inch
brass rods. The back row of columns is
flush with the inside of the shaft and WISH
tors can pass between them and advanc-
ing up to the bronze railing look out upon
the landscape. Sixteen feet below these
large openings each side has group of
live narrow windows and there are
other windows still higher up. Near the
base are also two windows. On the west
| is large oak door with bronze grills and
trimmings. Over the door is large lin
el on which are TO be carved heads of
Gems. Stark, Warner and Allen. The floor
| of the interior is laid on the top of the
foundation structure and is made of North
River tagging. A stairway is laid in
successive flights up three sides
OF the shaft and then on the fourth
side is a platform, the same arrangement
being repeated several times, The several
platforms are lighted by openings in the
wall on the south side.
There are no balconies, no conspicuous
outlooks, in fact nothing of that charac-
ter 1t is to he a memorial shaft, not an
observatory. AS it is necessary to protect
the monument with a lightning rod, a
crown of iron spikes is designed to sur
mount the whole, rising five feet from the
| apex of the stone-w